PLACE AUX DAMES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 266, 30 October 1911, Page 3

PLACE AUX DAMES.

| The Week. | A week of wind and dust anil threatening elov.ds. so that although we wore our .-uiiinicr clotb.es we carried umbrellas instead ol jiara»o!s— and now the rain. Just two idays of it. and what a wonderful i green world we hate in place of tin idriid-ni) brown of the la>L lew weeks.* Things have Lein dull from a social point of view, bitt the future | holds prospects alino.-i gay. Everylone is locking forwaid to the break- | ing-’.tp of Miss Wellw.x'd’s dancing school; then there is to be the fete lat Hat flock, when a hope has been I expressed that we are to bid.old tini villagers in smocks and ''t m'k-u; >:> : |and a whisper of a reception at the i Hast illgs • ltib next month has filled [our feminine hearts with pleasurable i ant icipat ion. i The Point of View.

| The name of V ictur Ifer.tgall on i ati English play l>ill t<“-nlls a story the (lever Australian used to tell ot Hi!-, first attempt to educate his i mother in the ajiprecint ion of the ! stage. She was one of the most [delightful old ladies in till 1 world; !t:er life had always run on pleasantly gilded wheels, and eteryom' she knew bad done exactly what had been expected of them. When hi r only son annoum-cd his intention of going on the stage, she took it ill much the same spirit as she would have done had lie developed measles ; it wa; a nuisance, but he would soon recover, and in the meantime v, ell. ’there were worse fields in which to sow wild oats. ()t 1.-.-mrse. nothing could have exasper. atid her beloved son more than this casual treatment of his life work. .Just as he had been given his first big part to study (he was later on trie "Little Billie of the , Crane-Power ('ompany ). Bernhardt ■amc to Melbourne and Dongal was seized with an inspiration. He would. take his mothtr to see "Tosca” ; that surely would arouse some interest in Ins art : would show h« r the nobility of such acting and to what a worthy calling lie was devoting himself. So he got a box and did things well. His mother smiled pleasantly through the iirst act. Slie was old-fashioned and rarely went to the theatre, so that she enjoyed the novelty of it thoroughly. When the curtain came down for the second time, and the passionate despair of ”La Tosca" at her lover’s tortures still held the house in a sort of tense silence, she turned io him and made her first observation. "That woman has rather a nice voice.’ she said. Tha Back Blocks.

A week or two ago one of the two Bush Nurses employed by our Government for district work in the I,ack blocks was in Hastings, and most interesting were her accounts of the lives of the settlers ia the Xew Plymouth district. Nr.rst O'Callaghan is a sister <>f our own district Plunket nurse ; an interesting pirsonalily. heart and soul in her work, ami a woman to be relied on in time of trouble. She rides to her ea:,i-s over the roughest hush tracks, is oat ia all conditions of weather and is busy always. The hardships of the back blocks women are almost unbelievable in this age of railways and closer settlement. I’hiy are the trials of our grandmot hers over again, but sound even with cimforts so close at Land. The women live far apart. seldom seeing one another, and the children must all help with the farm work as -.0-m as they ar? old enough ,o be of use. It is grind and slave from on year’s end to another ; and the recomepnse .’ you wonder. ".So far as I have seen there is none, says the nurse. She brought, to Hasting; with her a small patient eight months old. Its birthday was her first case there, and the mother falling i’l when the baby was four months, the nurse took it home with her. while the n< arest neighbour made room tor the other four children among her own little family of twelve. There is one woman who w< nt with her husband to tinbackest of all the bfix-ks tv.o and a half years ago. When yon have ridden many miles leather than tin place nearest it vo l must walk walk, mind you- six miles through the bu‘h till you come to a creek which in winter is swollen and unfordab’e. This is crossed in a canoe when possible, and then it is a few more milt s to the homestead. Supplies can only be got up in summer. The woman who lives there vv brought up in (omtoit and plenty . no one lm> even <een her for- two rears though it is known that during that time ‘die has had two children. The working of the Basil Nur-a-s scheme is probably the finest thing done by the Govt rnment for many years: it is only a teiiible pitv more nurses cinnot I>e found who are willing to undergo the hardships entailed. Are Men to Blame? Tl.e one -l.bjt I I vvhl. 11 never grow- edil. either as a topic of < on_ trsation among women or as an ibjci t (.f wit tor men. is that ot clothe-;. It i.T ain..,'t true that wherever two or three women are gathered the talk turns mt r .n later Oil clothes ; there is no doubt whatever that mo.-.t men would be rt.lilud of their reputation'- as

humorist s if there w< re no etei .■hanging fashions <>n which to .hut-pen their wits. Even the tact fashions are ahno.-t entirely ; evolved l>y men does not silence the . j jciilar one. for as so.<‘i as he is te-mil-.did -J this he turns hi- deri.-iott from the absurdity of the clothes to the folly of the v. omen v. ho wear them. Now. w(,m<n, as well as mt n. recognise the u’n jolts idtui ies in women's clothes, Me see quite plainly the absurdity of a skirt too [tight for safety ami of 0.-. e that is l-.uo long for comfort, and we know | that a hat that sits like a pill box Lui top of the bead is as titiictil.nts i a< one that comes down like a (tis.li iemiT on io the shoulders ; but vvets the w i-< -t ( f i s tn e human. amt ‘ir-und !'.• the unwritten law of eon S.nrich a v < 1 k j:a-s< s t m u t p l i Kling th' TO l.‘1(1.Ill tol h. 1 lli'kh .- - <x ■ r',--i-":o- 111 ilt» s -‘- l;nt wl ‘ llr ! dl 1 b-meht 1 >ll p< opm niu-t dvplolv

lie expensive luxury which characterises so much of the fashionable dressing of to-day, it is not fair that women should bear all the blame. If she evolved her own fashions it ■would be right for her to have the responsibility, but while her clothes are designed and manufactured for her by men. then they must take .he biggest share of the blame. And so long as that is the ease it is hardly spoiling of them to reserve dl tlieir scorn and laughter for the ..-omen who follow their decree. SOCIAL EVENTS IN NAPIER.

H.B. Tennis Club. The weather was most unfortunate for the opening day of the H.B. Tennis Club on Saturday, Oct. 21st’, only a few games had been played when the rain came down and stopped all further play for the afternoon. There were many visitors present, and afternoon tea was kindly provided by Mrs. Logan. Amongst those present were: Mrs. Logan, heliotrope coat anil skirt, black hat ; Mrs. Bowen, grey linen, hat trimmed with buttercups ; Aliss Bowen, blue linen ; Mrs. Ziele, grey poplin coat and skirt, hat to match : Mrs. Turnbull, mole coloured cloth, large black hat ; Miss Turnbull, blue serge coat and • kirt, white hat ; Mrs. Nantes, black coat anil skirt, black and cerise hat ; Mrs. Ivan Logan, white shantung, white hat trimmed with strawberries ; Miss Berry, blue crepe ; Miss Take, black and white check coat and skirt, black hat : Mrs. Warren, blue costume braided in black, blue hat ; Mrs. Ching, grey coat and skirt ; Mrs. Dinvv tddie. navy -blue; Mrs. Russell Duncan, tussore <iik coat and skirt : Mrs. McCassey, white broderie Anglaise. black and white hat ; Mrs. Sims, violet cloth and skirt ; -Mrs. Edgar, white linen; Miss Nevill, tussore sdk ; Mis. Arthur Kennedy, white muslin ; Miss North, grei n linen; Mrs. Hill, heliotrope coat and skirt ; Miss Hill, white muslin ; Miss Daisy Hill, tussore s ilk ; Mrs. AlcGlashan. blue and fawn striped coat and skirt, amethyst collar and hat ; Mi-s Dcwes, navy blue serge braided in black ; Miss S. Rutherfurd, white linen ; Miss Chapman, —ite muslin ; Miss Murray, white serge ; Mrs. Cato, white linen. Physical Culture.

An exhibition of physical culture i>_v Miss Ruiherfiird's pupils was held in St. Paul’s Schoolroom on Friday afternoon. Between forty and fifty children took part in the different exercises, which were all very graceful. and included figure marching, dumb-bells, clubs, wands, free exercises, scarf (bill, and a running maze. Mrs. Stopford gave away the prizes, and was presented with a bouquet of qink roses by the youngest rmpd. Canon Mayne, on behalf of Mrs. Stopford and Miss Rutherfurd, thanked the many visitors for their presence and the interest they had always taken in the work. Afternoon tea was then handed round by the girls. Amon-'- those present were Canon and Mrs. Mayne, Mrs. Edgar. Mrs. and Miss Sandtman, Mrs. Dalzi< 11, Mrs. George Nelson, Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Russell. Mrs. McCarthy. Mrs. Gt urge Kelly. Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Stnrroch, Mrs. Saxby. Mrs. Russell Duncan. Miss Fannin. Mrs. R. D. D. McLean, Mi.-s -McLean, Mrs. Snodgrass. Mrs. Campbell. Mrs. and Miss Hartree. Airs. Sproule. Mrs. Lusk, 7>lrs. S. Riddell. Mrs. Edmundson, Miss. Williams. Miss Bulstrode. Mrs. Caro.